Hungarian news in English, your guide to the politics of Hungary.

Protecting minorities in Ukraine

No minority in Ukraine can suffer a violation of their rights to education, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said after discussing the Ukrainian education law with Teodor Melescanu, his Romanian counterpart, in Bucharest on Monday.

The law, passed last autumn, bans post-primary-level education in minority languages.
Szijjarto and Melescanu agreed that they would continue to cooperate in their opposition to the law so that Ukraine cannot violate the acquired rights of its ethnic minorities.
The two officials were also in agreement that the Ukrainian government should discuss the law with the country’s minority groups before implementing it. Kiev must also respect the Venice Commission’s recommendations in connection with the law, Szijjarto said.

He reiterated that the Hungarian government wants to continue cooperating with Romania on the issue of the Ukrainian education law based on mutual respect. “One aspect of this is that we mutually respect the rights of minorities in line with European standards and view them as assets,” Szijjarto said.

Szijjarto said the Hungarian government was paying close attention to the situation of a church school in Targu Mures (Marosvasarhely) whose operation had been suspended by Romania last year. The government trusts that Romania will honour a promise made by Parliamentary Speaker Liviu Dragnea to resolve the school’s situation, Szijjarto added. “We are continuously monitoring this situation and we are also in contact with the leaders of the [ethnic Hungarian] RMDSZ party.”